The pair of men’s snow boots next to the hearth.
He froze with his jacket halfway down his arms and narrowed his eyes. There was no mistake—those weren’t Kelley’s boots. Her feet were small and those boots weren’t. His gaze darted around the rest of room. No signs of a man’s clothing, but two wineglasses bearing traces of drinks rested on the night table. And it hit him that while he’d clearly rousted Kelley from bed, she hadn’t looked the least bit sleepy when she opened the door. And the fact that the guy’s boots were still here, meant he was still here.
His gaze shot toward the closed bathroom door then he swiveled around to face her. She stood near the door, her face flushed crimson. “You’re not alone,” he blurted out, unable to keep the surprise from his voice.
“Eric, listen. I…” She blew out a long breath and raked one hand through her tousled hair. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Actually, neither do I.” His sister was thirty-four years old—her love life certainly wasn’t any of his business. “Obviously I should have called first, but it never occurred to me you’d have company—”
His words cut off when the bathroom door opened. A tall man, fully dressed—thank God—except for his boots, emerged and walked toward him.
Eric actually felt his jaw drop. “Marc?”
“Eric.” Jess’s brother treated him to his usual scowl as he walked by. Marc stopped next to Kelley and took her hand. There was nothing scowl-like about the look he bestowed on her. And Kelley, who gazed up at him, jeez, looked like she’d just swallowed a lightbulb.
“Well I’ll be damned,” Eric muttered, staring at them. “I thought you two couldn’t stand each other.”
Marc turned and met Eric’s gaze. “Seems we can.”
Apparently. Clearly those sparks he’d detected between them were the result of more than animosity. “How long has this been going on?”
“Turns out we’ve had feelings building for each other for a few months,” Marc said.
“But only discovered how deep they ran last night,” Kelley added.
“Appears our feelings are stronger than either of us even suspected,” Marc said, his gaze steady on Eric’s. “You have a problem with that?”
Eric’s gaze shifted to Kelley and his heart twisted at the light shining in her eyes. Shaking his head, he said, “As long as Kelley’s happy, that’s all that matters to me.” He hesitated then said to Marc, “You know your mother isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“Probably not.” Marc shrugged. “She’ll just have to get over it.”
Good luck with that. But it was just what Eric wanted to hear for Kelley’s sake. He narrowed his eyes. “You’d better be good to my sister, you big, scowling jerk.”
Marc blinked, then his lips twitched. “Same goes.”
Eric’s insides knotted tighter and before he could reply, Marc approached him. “I owe you the same courtesy you just showed me. I’m sorry I haven’t offered it sooner. As long as Jessica is happy, that’s all that matters to me.”
He held out his hand. Eric studied it for several seconds, his stomach cramping with what he had to tell them. Damn. He didn’t want to mess up this peace offering, but what choice did he have? He shook Marc’s hand then drew a bracing breath. “Thanks. But there’s something I need to tell you. Both of you.”
Chapter 8
JESSICA HURRIED through the lobby, a beehive of activity in the center of which a smiling Helen Krause buzzed. She offered the woman a quick wave but didn’t pause, intent on getting back to the cabin as quickly as possible. Her breakfast with her mother had taken far longer than she’d anticipated—it was almost eleven o’clock. She’d hoped Eric might be waiting for her in the lounge or lobby, but she couldn’t blame him for not hanging around for four hours.
An image of him, when he’d looked at her just before he left her outside the restaurant with her mom, flashed through her mind. She’d never seen such an expression on his face before. He’d clearly been extremely upset. As was she. But Eric had appeared almost dazed. Furious—like a volcano ready to erupt, yet somehow also looking as if he’d just lost his best friend.
She’d wanted to talk to him, but she had to deal with her mother immediately. And now that she had, she needed to tell Eric about the compromise she and her mother had hammered out. And hope that he’d agree to it.
She exited the lodge and struck out on the freshly shoveled path, a smile tugging at her lips at the sight of a family making snow angels and a group of shrieking teenagers in the throes of a snowball fight.